


Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

by am_i_write



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Bokuto is the sweetest of peas, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Insecurity, Jealousy, KuroKen - Freeform, Kuroo is just trying his best, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Rated T for language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-09-27 14:14:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10024367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/am_i_write/pseuds/am_i_write
Summary: Under the impression that Kenma and Shouyou have feelings for one another, Kuroo distances himself from Kenma to avoid hurting anyone.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hey hey hey! These characters are not mine :)

If you asked Kuroo Tetsurou what his worst nightmare consisted of, he wouldn't hesitate to tell you that it was hurting his best friend, Kozume Kenma.

That's why, when Kuroo noticed Kenma becoming closer to Hinata Shouyou, he smiled and encouraged them to become closer. That's why, when Hinata was the one who was able to bring out the passion in Kenma rather than Kuroo who had been trying for years, he smiled and teased them about being more than friends. That's why, when Kuroo found himself sobbing at two am, he dismissed the idea of calling Kenma like he usually did when he was upset.

After all, Kenma always knew when Kuroo was lying, and how was he supposed to tell Kenma that he was jealous of his friendship with the shrimp? He couldn't do that.

He couldn't hurt Kenma, couldn't burden him, couldn't get in his way, but he also couldn't continue trying to pretend nothing was wrong. He'd never be able to forgive himself if he got in Kenma's way towards a relationship.

The idea was nearly unthinkable, but for Kenma's sake, he'd have to cut him off completely.

\---

 _Ring. Ring. Ring._ Bokuto stared at Kuroo's phone. "You gonna answer that?" he asked his messy-haired friend.

Kuroo coughed, eyeing Kenma's name on the screen until it disappeared. He'd been doing his best to avoid Kenma at school, hiding in large groups of people in the halls, talking to anyone else during practice, not answering his texts. It felt horrible, but after all, the ends justify the means. "I'll call him back later."

Raising one eyebrow, Bokuto stood up from his couch to stretch. "Why not just answer him now?"

Kuroo bit his lip, fumbling for an excuse. "I have a headache." Bokuto frowned at him, and opened his mouth to speak. "Hey," Kuroo interrupted him before he'd even started. "Didn't something hilarious happen in class today that you wanted to talk to me about?"

Bokuto's eyes lit up, all to susceptible to the change in topic. "Yeah, Keiji-san was..."

Only half-listening, Kuroo sat back to rub at his temples. He missed Kenma so badly, but this was for the best, right? This was the only way they could both be happy, right? Right. Kuroo couldn't let himself consider any other possibilities. There was no sense in false hope.

\---

Kuroo sighed, clicking his light back on after failing to fall asleep for an hour. After over two weeks of avoiding his best friend, it was time to confront himself over his feelings.

Clearly, Kuroo was in love with Kenma. What else could explain his intense jealousy over Shrimpy-chan?

But how could he make himself stop? He'd known Kenma since they were little kids, and hiding from him could never change the fact that he was a part of all his best memories. Would distance really help at all? Kuroo felt his eyes tear up as he thought about never being able to spend time with Kenma again, but that was the only way to allow Kenma to fall in love with Shouyou without guilt over Kuroo's obvious feelings.

Suddenly, something tapped against Kuroo's window. Frowning, he swung himself up and walked over to it and swept aside the curtain, revealing two yellow eyes perched on a branch of the tree outside of his window. A cat?

His eyes adjusted to the darkness.

Kenma.

Kuroo swished the curtain closed, but mere moments later there was an angry thump. Hoping that his parents hadn't heard, he sweeped the fabric aside and slid the glass aside.

"What are you doing here?" Kuroo whisper-shouted. "What if you fall? Fuck, Kenma, don't you dare hurt yourself. I'll be out in a moment to help you down." He turned, rushing to his bedroom door.

"No." Kenma's voice was clear and strong, and it stopped Kuroo in his tracks. "I'm coming in."

Eyes wide, Kuroo spun around with his hands out, but Kenma was already leaping forward, landing gracefully on the window sill before pushing himself in. Kuroo let his arms wrap around the smaller boy, pulling him close. "You could have died, you moron!"

Kenma stared at him, unimpressed. "Why have you been avoiding me?"

Swallowing, Kuroo looked away. "I haven't been ignoring you."

"Yes, you have," he said, stepping closer, sharp eyes gleaming in the dark. "What's going on? Did I do something wrong?"

Kuroo shook his head violently, then rubbed his hands over his eyes. He'd fucked up. "Ah shit. No, Kenma, you're perfect. It's just something I have to sort through on my own, okay?"

"Liar," Kenma replied immediately, his face and voice impassive. "You feel like you have to sort things out on your own, but you don't."

"Kenma, you don't understand."

A beat.

Kenma took a step closer, invading Kuroo's space. "Are you sure?"

Kuroo swallowed, stepping back, but Kenma was already moving in again until the backs of Kuroo's legs hit his bed and he fell backward onto it. Crawling onto the bed, straddling Kuroo with his small setter hands on either side of his head, Kenma leaned in. "Are you sure I don't understand what's bothering you? Because I think I just might."

"Kenma?" Kuroo breathed, eyes wide, hearing beating erratically. The light from his lamp cast eerie shadows across the other boy's face, framed by his two-tone hair, making Kuroo shiver from attraction.

"For a while I was unsure whether you felt the same way, but you've always been an open book. Tell me though, why did you close yourself off? Did you really think I'd hate you even if I wasn't just as in love with you?"

Kuroo's heartbeat stuttered. "Kenma, I- I don't understand."

Kenma sighed. "I like you, too, Kuroo."

"W-what?" Kuroo swallowed as Kenma patiently waited for him to digest this information and move forward. He had a billion questions, but the first he blurted out was, "But what about Shrimpy-chan?"

Kenma wrinkled his nose slightly. "You think I have feelings for Shouyou? He's a good friend, but I'm not interested in him. Besides, he totally has a thing for his setter."

Jaw dropping, Kuroo blinked rapidly. "The freak duo is a couple?"

"Not yet," Kenma said, sitting back a little. "I don't think either of them have even realized that they're into each other yet."

Kuroo laughed, forgetting for a moment what was going on between them. "And yet you already know that they are. Always so observant, Kenma."

"And you're so clueless. Why would you avoid me?" Kenma asked, and Kuroo finally noticed the hurt in his sharp eyes, making him feel sick to his stomach. Hurting Kenma had always been his worst nightmare, after all. It seems his plan to avoid this had backfired completely.

"Distance makes the heart grow fonder?" he said with a laugh, trying to relieve the tension. Kenma just stared resolutely.

Kuroo sighed, rubbing his hands across his face. "I didn't want my feelings for you to make you uncomfortable, or for them to hold you back from a relationship with Shrimpy."

Kenma raises an eyebrow. "Would it kill you to call him Shouyou? Or Hinata?" When Kuroo wrinkles his nose, Kenma shakes his head. "Never mind. But you're my best friend, Tetsu. Don't ever cut me off."

Feeling his eyes well up with tears, Kuroo chokes out, "The last thing I want to do is hurt you."

"I know." His amber eyes glittered in the dark, and Kuroo felt his heart speed up, realizing what position they were still in. A smirk pulled at Kenma's lip, but it disappeared a second later.

"But what made you think I had feelings for Shouyou? I'm clearly still closer to you."

Kuroo looked downward, a bit ashamed now that he saw how wrong he was. "You're so passionate around him. I've been trying to get that out of you for years, but only he can make you that happy, that excited. Maybe you should still try to pursue a relationship with him," he trailed off. When he dared to meet Kenma's gaze again, he flinched back against the steel.

"Shouyou excites me about volleyball because he's an exciting opponent. My life is much more than volleyball. Now shut up and go to sleep," he muttered, slipping off of the bed and heading towards the window.

"No," Kuroo protested as loudly as he dared, what with his parents sleeping just down the hall and all. "Stay here. With me. Tonight."

Kenma tilted his head, considering, before nodding. He walked over and causally slipped beneath the covers, staring up at Kuroo expectantly.

Kuroo stilled. They had just confessed to each other, and now they were going to sleep together? Well, not sleep sleep together, but... never mind. But really, this was Kenma, who was too familiar to do anything else with. It'd really be more awkward if one of them bothered to sleep on the futon.

So Kuroo wiggled underneath the blankets, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy who pressed his face into his chest.

Slowly, comfortably, easily, they fell asleep entwined in each other's arms.

\---

When Kuroo woke up, Kenma was still in his arms as he played a game on his phone. The memories of the previous night hit him like a brick.

"Kenma," he murmured. Kenma hit pause on his game, and squirmed in Kuroo's arms to face him. "Tell me that last night wasn't a dream."

In response, Kenma leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the corner of Kuroo's mouth, causing the captain to blink rapidly. "Not a dream," Kuroo concluded. "Hey, does this mean we're, um, boyfriends now?" Kenma looked away, but remained quiet.

After a long stretch of silence, Kuroo swallowed. "Hey, we don't have to. We can still be friends. Nothing has to change if you don't want it to."

"No," Kenma said, facing Kuroo once more. "Well, yes."

Kuroo raised an eyebrow. "What?" he said, ever so eloquent.

"I want to be your boyfriend, but I also don't want things to change," he muttered, turning his phone on and off again, presumably just to have something to do with his hands. Kuroo smiled at the familiarity of the other boy's actions and the sweetness of his words.

"Hey, we'll still be best friends," Kuroo said, hugging the setter to his chest. "We'll still be us, but now I'm allowed to do this," he added, kissing the top of Kenma's head, who squirmed and hit him.

"Nevermind, I never want to see you again," he mumbled, and Kuroo laughed his atrocious cackle that Kenma never made him feel insecure about.

"No, Kenma! Don't leave me," Kuroo said with a pout once he'd gained control of his laughter.

"But distance makes the heart grow fonder, doesn't it?" Kenma replied dryly.

Kuroo flushed with shame. "Never again," he promised.

"Never again," Kenma echoed, snuggling into Kuroo's arms as he pulled out his phone, showing Kuroo that all was forgiven.

A pang in his heart stilled Kuroo. He'd fucked up, but here was Kenma, as forgiving as if he'd never done anything wrong in the first place.

Tucking his face into the crook of Kenma's neck, Kuroo smiled to himself; he had the best boyfriend in the world.

\---

"Bro!" Bokuto cried as he swung open his front door a few days later.

"Hey, bro," said Kuroo. Bokuto led him inside, flopping dramatically on the couch.

"I have news," they said at the same time. Bokuto's eyes widened; for the past two weeks, his bro had been despondent and sulky.

"Good news?" he asked suspiciously.

Kuroo nodded, though his brow was drawn and he kept fidgeting. "You first," he said, running his fingers through his too-messy-to-make-worse hair.

Though always excited to relate his latest anecdote, Bokuto was simply filled to the brim with curiosity. "Bro, no! I'm dying to here it now."

Kuroo swallowed, shifting a bit. "I, I'm, Kenma- we're..."

Bokuto's eyes widened. "Oh, did you finally get together?"

"What?!" Kuroo frowned. Surely they hadn't been so easy to read that even Bokuto had noticed their feelings.

"Akaashi totally called it, like, months ago," Bokuto replied with a shrug. "I never suspected it myself until he said anything, but he's always right."

Kuroo frowned. "Months ago?"

Bokuto just grinned. "He was right, though, wasn't he? And that explains why Kenma seemed so much more animated when I saw him yesterday."

"Kenma seemed more animated?" Kuroo repeated, brow furrowing even deeper. He'd have wrinkles by twenty-one if he kept this up, but he couldn't bring himself to care at that moment.

"Kenma's always more passionate about you than anyone else," Bokuto replied, his expression honest.

"But what about Shrimpy-chan?"

Bokuto wrinkled his nose. "Hinata? He only excites Kenma over volleyball. Bro, you aren't seriously jealous, are you?"

 _Fuck_ , thought Kuroo. Even Bokuto was more observant than him. "Of course not," he responded quickly.

"Oh ho ho!" Bokuto crowed. "My bro Kuroo is jealous of a little Shrimp! You know, I'd tease you about this way more, but it's time for my good news!" Bokuto sat up to tell his story, bouncing in his seat.

Kuroo smiled at his friend, and sat back to listen.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave any feedback you have in the comments!
> 
> dsiofhoiashf I have so much work to do, so it's a perfect time to post on ao3, eh?


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